Safe
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Sending their daughter back in time to save her is one of the hardest things Nathan and Audrey ever had to do.


**I don't own Haven and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

_Author's Note: _Another theory I'm most likely wrong about, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Enjoy!

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Audrey and Nathan held on to their daughter as long as possible because they didn't want to let her go. This was the hardest thing they ever had to do (aside from Sarah giving up James for adoption, but Nathan hadn't been around for that). She kissed the top of the newborn's head and let out a sob. "Don't ever forget that we love you, baby girl. You mean everything to us." Her heart broke when the baby whimpered before quieting back down.

"We're doing this so you can be safe." Both of them were aware that this tiny two day old person couldn't understand them, but they weren't exactly thinking rationally at the moment.

"It's time." William held his arms out, and Audrey gently placed the baby in them.

"Wait; make sure they have this letter." Audrey handed it over to him. She collapsed in Nathan's arms as William disappeared with Jennifer to a time in the past where she would be safe. He'd make sure she would have different biological parents listed so the truth wouldn't be discovered until the time was right.

Nathan tried his best to comfort his wife, but it was made harder by the fact that he was falling apart himself. He couldn't be strong for her right now. It was too hard.

Dwight, James, Duke, and Jennifer stood off to the side and watched them. They had all been preparing for this for months, but it still hurt.

"I found my parents, saw my birth and then had to watch them give me away." Jennifer had known about this for years just like everyone else but she was still reeling. At least Audrey and Nathan had been allowed to spend two days with baby before giving her up for adoption by sending her back in time. It had only made the separation worse, though.

James smiled sadly at his sister. "I'm sorry, Jen."

"It's okay." It wasn't and they all knew it. She had forgiven her parents a long time ago, however. It wasn't safe with the Guard trying to kill them. That's why they had had to deliver the baby in a safe location and not in the hospital.

Duke kissed his girlfriend. "It's going to be okay. We'll make sure of it." They were all in fear for their lives and it had been a major cause of stress for Audrey during the pregnancy. No one was surprised that she gave birth three weeks early.

Now, they all had to live with the fallout of the choices they had made and get to work on ending the Troubles and stopping the Guard for good.

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Several years in the past, those crowded around the table stared at each other in shock after reading the letter. William had given it to them after finally finding it. Needless to say, no one had expected to read what was in it.

"You're our daughter." Nathan stared at Jennifer in awe. They had to give her up and send her back in time, but at least she was safe. That was what mattered to him, even though he was upset they hadn't seen her grow up. They hadn't been involved in her life at all up until a few months ago.

Audrey worried about Jennifer hating them now. She desperately hoped not. And the letter mentioned nothing of their relationships with each other, but it was safe to assume she and Nathan were still together in the future.

And that's when it hit Duke that he was in love with and was fucking Audrey and Nathan's _daughter_ "Oh shit," he mumbled.

Everyone turned to stare at him. It took Nathan a few minutes to realize why Duke was freaking out and once he did, he glared at him. It didn't last long, however, before he started to laugh. "Duke, it's okay. I can't say that I like it now that we know the truth, but you two have been together for a while now and I can tell you're both happy. Stop worrying."

Duke wasn't so sure about that, but he took Nathan at his word. "Okay." He eyed him warily.

Audrey stood up and Jennifer followed her lead. She ended up pulling her daughter in for a hug and kissing the top of her head. "You've been a wonderful friend these past few months. I'm grateful for your help. And while it is shocking, I'm thrilled that you are my daughter. You're a part of both of us."

Nathan smiled at the two of them. "I feel the exact same way. I'm glad we met you and that you're staying with us." He joined Audrey and Jennifer's hug, and pulled in Duke a few seconds later.

"So we have to stop the Guard and end the Troubles for good, but how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Duke questioned once they all sat back down.

"Well, our future selves haven't figured that out yet, but we can definitely start trying to figure out a way. Our family and Haven needs to be safe." Audrey was more determined than ever now. She wanted the future to be safe for her children (and fuck, she had two, and up until she came to Haven she thought she had just been looking for her mother) and figured Nathan felt the same way.

Duke and Nathan didn't think they could change the course of the future –they had already learned that lesson the hard way when they were sent back in time – but they were willing to try.

So all of them sat down and got to work on the research they had been poring over for a long time. And it helped calm them down, especially Audrey.

But later that night in bed, she broke down in tears. "We've had to give up two children because of this fucking place. I love it, but this isn't fair," she told Nathan.

He rubbed her back to calm her down. "It isn't fair. But we'll save everyone and make it safe for Jennifer. And we'll find James. I'm not giving up hope there. We can do this, Audrey. I know we can."

"I admire your optimism. Where was that a few months ago?"

He laughed. "You gave it back to me."

"I have parents. But I'm from the future." Jennifer was still in shock as she and Duke lay talking in their own bed.

"That is weird, but it's not the weirdest thing to happen to us. Hell, Nathan and I went back in time and he knocked up Audrey in the past. This is on the same level as that."

"They love me, right?" she asked in a small voice.

"You read the letter. Of course they do. They didn't want to give you up. And I love you, too."

"I love you. Thank you for being there for me." Jennifer leaned over and kissed her boyfriend.

The four of them met up the next day and tried to work past the awkwardness. It wasn't exactly easy at first since none of them knew what to say.

It was Audrey who finally broke the silence. "Jennifer, we would love to have a relationship with you and it can be whatever you want it to be – parents and daughter, friends, whatever. But we're not letting you go now that you're in our lives and we know of your relation to us."

"We love you already. You're an amazing person," Nathan added. He wanted to make sure that she knew that so she didn't doubt their feelings for her.

She blushed. "Thanks. I do want to have a relationship with you, but I'm not sure what type right now." Jennifer didn't know what to do when her emotions were all over the place. It hurt for sure, but other than that, she was torn between anger and a little bit of happiness.

"That's fine. We can do this slowly." Audrey grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

It wasn't going to be easy – there were a lot of roadblocks and anger – but the three of them built up a relationship. They stayed friends since there was only a tiny age difference and it would be weird for Jennifer to call them "Mom or Dad".

They found James three months later and his memory returned pretty quickly after that. And three years after that– two years after Jennifer's birth – the Troubles were finally ended permanently and the Guard was taken down. For the first time in a long time, Haven was safe.

Audrey, Nathan, and Jennifer all took comfort in the fact that they knew how her younger self had fared and they had a relationship now. It worked for them, although they did occasionally have some issues after working through their problems.

Nathan and Audrey became grandparents when James remarried. It was an interesting experience to say the least, but they spoiled their grandchildren rotten. They enjoyed the experience and it allowed them to get used to babies. The two ended up adding three more children (twins named Rhiannon and Juliet and a son named Dylan) to their lives. This time, they actually got to raise them, but still battled guilt over not being in James and Jennifer's lives. Meanwhile, Duke and Jennifer married and welcomed a daughter of their own, Lucia Natalie, named partially after her maternal grandparents.

Everything had worked out for the best in the end, although Nathan and Audrey had made some hard decisions they wished they didn't have to make. They had made the right choice even though it didn't seem like it sometimes.


End file.
